Teamsters submit proposal for restructuring Hostess

4/16/2012
- by
Eric Schroeder

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WASHINGTON — The Teamsters Union, which represents more than 7,500 delivery drivers and merchandisers at Hostess Brands, Inc., submitted a proposal today that the union said would share burden among all stakeholders and put Hostess on a path to financial recovery.

“The Teamsters’ proposal demands that executives, as well as all stakeholders, actually share equally in the financial sacrifices necessary for Hostess to emerge from bankruptcy instead of paying lip-service to the concept,” said Ken Hall, general secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters.

The 16-page proposal comes in advance of an April 17 hearing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York in which Hostess is expected to ask the court to toss its existing union contracts if its unions don’t accept cost-cutting proposals in its “final” offer.

Hostess’ “final” offer this past weekend included reduced pension benefits, work rule changes that the company said would lower its costs and the outsourcing of some delivery work.

Meanwhile, the latest proposal from the Teamsters includes concessions worth $150 million a year in addition to $110 million in concessions the union said it made about three years ago.

The union laid out several specific modifications to its current agreement. For example, the union’s proposal would allow Hostess to use casual transport drivers to fill in for regular full-time drivers absent due to illness or unscheduled absences, or to run extra loads. Additionally, Hostess would be allowed to use distributors and/or wholesalers to distribute a hybrid line of Hostess products.

In its proposal the Teamsters said Hostess would be required to develop a line of “like” items in order to compete with Little Debbie.|

“The source of product ideas/design will be the Top 10 Little Debbie stock-keeping units,” the Teamsters said. “These products will not include any products that are direct competitors of Hostess. The company will have the right to immediately distribute the above products under the ‘warehouse delivery system’ as agreed by the parties and in effect under the long-term extension agreements. Immediately following the introduction of the above items, the company will eliminate three items currently on the Dolly Madison Bakery Cake Warehouse Direct Product List.”

The Teamsters also proposed that Hostess must agree to not exit any current sales market during the term of the letter of understanding for the purpose of evading the terms and conditions.

“Should (Hostess) nonetheless decide to exit a sales market, it agrees that it will negotiate with IBC-IBTNNC over the decision and its effects if the decision is predicated on labor costs, and will negotiate with the IBC-IBTNNC over the effects of the decision if the decision is not predicated on labor costs.”

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Lets look at this. What has not changed in the 2 times bankruptcy has been filed:
1. Twice you have supposedly going to restructure...hasn't happened.
2. In the restructure you have not change high level to mid level management.
3. You have not changed your day to day operations and procedures.
4. You have 2 trucks serving the same accounts driving up these cost of serving customers. Combine cakes and breads on the same routes. Better to walk on one leg than to have both cut out from you!
5. Restructure everyone's pay and benefits to where it works both for the company and employees. And yes both has to give and take to work and survive.
6. Get rid of the union they are at least 46% to blame to the situation!

Well that is the closes I have ever heard the union say that they are part of the problem. They are talking of giving up alot of money themselves.... Wow how much money are they taking in annually?! Must be a great deal, must be nice for them to sit on their duffs collecting all this money. Sounds like their more concerned about their wallets than the people they supposedly represent!
I say get rid of the union and half of your problems are resolved!!!!!